If two materials move relative to each other one of these materials may build up an electrostatic charge or, in short, become electrostatically charged due to the electric charge present in the respective materials. Such an electrostatic charge occurs particularly frequently in materials in which conductivity is weak or non-existent, in particular in dielectric materials. The build-up of such an electrostatic charge usually leads to a corresponding electrostatic discharge, wherein high energies, in particular electric energies are released. This may take the form of sparks or of momentarily flowing high electric currents. Such a discharge is known to be a danger to persons who happen to be present in its environment or to objects in its vicinity, and may also damage and/or destroy the electrostatically charged material or the material in the process of discharging and it could also trigger a fire or explosion. Electrostatic charges and corresponding discharges in particular occur in moving thin material webs, in particular in films, fleeces, textiles, threads, granulates, powder and paper as well as in a mixture of such materials which may, for example, be moving at high speed as a rule, in an associated production plant or processing plant. In particular the electrostatic discharge may lead to injury for an operator of the plant as well as to damage to the plant and the material or the material web itself. In addition, when such materials build up a charge, which in particular may occur in the form of a polarized surface, problems may occur during after-treatment or post-processing of these materials, for example if these materials undergo subsequent coating and/or printing. In order to counteract this electrostatic build-up of a charge or its discharge, an antistatic device is usually provided which ensures controlled discharging or electric neutralization of the electrostatically charged material. As a rule the charge causing the electrostatic charge is removed from the moving material web by means of the antistatic device. It is conceivable to achieve such a reduction of electrostatic charges with the aid of electrodes which are connected to a corresponding high voltage source and thus to build up an electric potential relative to the material web, in order to achieve said removal of the charge.
An antistatic device of this kind is for example known from the DE 197 11 342 A1. The antistatic device which comprises such electrodes can be connected to an external high voltage source in order to build up the electric potential between the electrodes and the material web.